Su Sheng carried Luo Ren out of the abyss. Over the past half month, thanks to Luo Ren’s map, they had managed to avoid quite a few troubles along the way.
However, no matter how much treatment he received, Luo Ren’s injuries showed little sign of improvement.
The man in question spoke in an innocent tone, “Norton, my dear, I might have to trouble you to carry me for the rest of the journey.”
Su Sheng disliked being too close to others, but with Luo Ren on his back, the other’s scent lingered around him, making him feel uneasy.
When he could no longer bear it, Su Sheng would turn his head and shoot a cold glare, asking, “When exactly will your leg injury heal?”
At this, Luo Ren would lean in with a playful smile, breathing softly into his ear, blinking, and spouting irrelevant nonsense: “I don’t know either, I’m not sure, I wish I did, actually, I also…”
“Stop!” Su Sheng felt a faint ache in his forehead. Little did he know, the unspoken words Luo Ren held back were, “Actually, I’m quite enjoying this too, don’t you think, Your Holiness, the great Saint?”
Fortunately, Su Sheng didn’t know, or he would have erupted in a murderous rage.
…
After more than twenty days of travel, standing at the border between the abyss and the human town, Su Sheng set Luo Ren down and said, “I’ve repaid what I owed you. Let’s part ways here.”
Luo Ren wore his usual smile, appearing utterly nonchalant. Yet, upon closer inspection, one could see his hand tightly gripping the hem of Su Sheng’s clothes, his azure eyes filled with accusations of “you heartless person.”
Experience had taught him that the tactic of “pretending to leave to make him realize” simply didn’t work, this human would leave without a shred of attachment.
So now, Luo Ren clung tightly to Su Sheng’s clothes, smiling breezily as he said, “Are you really willing to abandon a disabled person and fly away like this? That doesn’t seem like something a gentleman would do.”
What nonsense, Su Sheng frowned.
“Don’t you have family waiting for you to bring back the Silver Star Orchid to save them?” Su Sheng asked.
Luo Ren’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly, and his smile froze slightly. To Su Sheng, this looked like guilt. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, he asked, “Don’t tell me you forgot about that?”
Luo Ren: “…”
Luo Ren hurriedly added, “Of course not.”
As if that were true.
It was a lie he had casually made up, and he had long since forgotten about it.
“My dear, are you really willing to abandon a disabled person? Aren’t you worried about me, even just a little, a little bit?”
Luo Ren asked unwillingly.
Su Sheng replied calmly, “If your hands were injured, perhaps I’d worry a little.”
“If I encounter wandering demons on the road, I’ll die,” Luo Ren tried to struggle further.
But this time, Su Sheng didn’t respond immediately.
After a moment, he asked, “Where are you going?”
Luo Ren was taken aback, sensing an opportunity. But the continent of light was vast, with so many kingdoms, and for a moment, he couldn’t think of a name.
Racking his brains… which kingdom had he recently robbed again?
Oh, he remembered.
Luo Ren smiled again and said, “The Kingdom of Felichis.”
Su Sheng tilted his head, puzzled, and asked, “Wasn’t that kingdom destroyed a hundred years ago?”
Luo Ren said, “It’s been rebuilt.”
Su Sheng murmured, “How come I haven’t heard about it.”
Luo Ren quickly added, “It happened recently.”
No wonder. The Kingdom of Felichis was located in a remote area, so it was perfectly normal for him not to know the latest news.
Su Sheng thought for a moment and recalled that the old site of this kingdom was in the southwest of the continent. His first stop for the mission assigned by the Quick Transmigration Bureau to find someone was also in the southwest, at Silver Moon Bay.
So Su Sheng said, “Alright.”
Luo Ren’s expression visibly brightened. He narrowed his eyes and returned to his previous refined and polite demeanor. However, when Su Sheng was about to leave, Luo Ren spread his arms and succinctly uttered a single word: “Carry.”
“Carry?” Su Sheng flicked his fingers and cast a levitation spell on Luo Ren, causing him to float upright beside Su Sheng.
Luo Ren sighed, as if accepting the situation. “Floating like this isn’t too bad either.”
“Perhaps we should heal your legs first,” Su Sheng said as they walked.
“Oh, right,” Luo Ren replied, seemingly remembering something, and narrowed his eyes regretfully.
…
The first human town was now in sight. At this point, both of them looked utterly disheveled, their clothes tattered almost to the point of resembling beggars. Yet, despite their appearance, their striking looks remained undeniable.
As they entered the small town and walked along the road, they attracted a hundred percent of the attention.
One enthusiastic young woman even approached them, offering to buy them new clothes and generously inviting them to a ball. However, Su Sheng politely declined.
Given how exaggeratedly disheveled they looked, Su Sheng wasn’t even worried about being recognized.
When the two sat down on a stone bench by the roadside to rest, a nearby conversation caught Su Sheng’s attention.
“Hey, have you heard? The people in the main city-state of the Kingdom of Costi disappeared overnight.”
“Yeah, the Saint offended the Demon King, and they suffered along with him.”
“The Saint?” someone exclaimed in surprise. “How could that be?”
“You actually don’t know about this? You’re really out of touch. But after that incident, not only did the entire city-state vanish without a trace, but even the Saint disappeared!”
The conversation ended with the two sighing dramatically, “The Demon King is truly terrifying.”
Luo Ren instinctively turned to look at Su Sheng and noticed his cold gaze, his expression unreadable.
He thought these were just a bunch of fools who couldn’t even tell who was helping whom, not worth paying attention to. But as he stared at Su Sheng’s impassive face, he found himself unconsciously asking, “What do you think of the Demon King?”
Su Sheng lowered his eyes, his voice carrying an uncontrollable chill. “I’ll kill him sooner or later.”
In a place where Su Sheng couldn’t see, Luo Ren narrowed his eyes dangerously, licked his sharp teeth, and revealed a strange smile.
…
After purchasing new robes and Su Sheng disguising himself, the two immediately headed to the local Healers’ Guild.
This was where healing-type mages gathered. After giving the receptionist a silver coin, they were led to the third floor, where the town’s most skilled healing mage was said to reside.
Upon arriving, Su Sheng knocked on the door. An elderly man wearing a hood answered.
The old man welcomed them inside. After carefully examining Luo Ren’s leg, his expression turned grave. “The residual poison from a high-level demon has corroded the joints in his leg. As far as I know, such demons only exist in the Abyss.”
“Have you been to the Abyss?”
His gaze lingered on Su Sheng for a moment, then shifted to Luo Ren before finally settling on a particular spot. After a brief pause, he exclaimed in shock, “It’s actually Silver Star Orchid?!”
The old man was astounded. “You even ventured into the Demon King’s dwelling?”
Su Sheng responded with a faint “Mm.”
“Brave warriors,” the old mage sighed, his gaze toward them growing even more sincere. “Forgive me, but I cannot treat this injury. However, I have a potion here that can temporarily suppress the spread of the poison. I’ll give it to you for free. If you wish to be cured, you must go to the Holy City and seek Lord Tuo Ri.”
“Alright,” Su Sheng thanked him. “Thank you.”
“May the God of Light bless you.” As he spoke these words, the old man’s expression seemed bathed in radiance.
Meanwhile, Luo Ren let out a disdainful scoff.
…
Su Sheng carried Luo Ren away. Due to Luo Ren’s severe injury, they couldn’t use a teleportation array, as it would tear open his wounds. Instead, they had to rent a unicorn-drawn carriage with a coachman to take them to the Holy City.
After traveling intermittently for three days, they arrived at the Holy City and successfully found Tuo Ri.
In a small but exquisitely decorated room, Tuo Ri knelt to examine Luo Ren’s leg. After a moment, he looked up.
“It was bitten by a werewolf, mixed with vampire blood. The werewolf must have bitten a vampire shortly before biting you. The blood and saliva mixed and spread to your joints, which is why the injury is so difficult to treat.”
He then patted his chest. “Old Fu wrote to me, saying you’re the brave ones who dared to venture into the Abyss. Leave this matter to me.”
Su Sheng nodded slightly in acknowledgment. “Thank you. We’ll trouble you then.”
“No trouble at all,” Tuo Ri chuckled cheerfully. “You’ll just have to stay with me for a few more days.”
“I only have one spare room here. Since I need to monitor the patient’s condition closely, it’s best not to stay too far away. But I suppose neither of you will mind, right?” Tuo Ri asked with a smile.
Su Sheng frowned slightly, while Luo Ren smiled faintly and nodded. “Of course not. It’s our honor to stay here.”
That night, when Su Sheng saw the tiny bed, he fell into an obvious silence.
It reminded him of some unpleasant memories, and the person involved acted as if nothing was wrong, saying, “This bed is nice. We won’t even need blankets at night.”
Indeed, with two people squeezed together, blankets were unnecessary, especially on a summer night.
“I’ll sleep on the floor,” Su Sheng said, walking over to pick up a blanket and spread it on the ground, but Luo Ren quickly stopped him.
The man opposite him wore a pitiful expression. “My dear Norton, are you disliking me now?”
Su Sheng replied, “No…”
“That’s good. If you sleep on the floor, what if I accidentally roll off and crush you at night?”
Though it was clearly a lie, Luo Ren spoke with a serious face.
Su Sheng was utterly exhausted and didn’t want to waste energy on such a trivial matter, so he acquiesced.
But soon, he regretted it, deeply and completely.
Beside him, Luo Ren’s steady breathing brushed against his ear, making it itch, while a warm presence pressed against his back.
A bit… stiff.
Su Sheng found it somewhat unbearable.
He had never been this close to anyone before.
Because Luo Ren was too close to him, and also out of concern for the other’s injuries, Su Sheng kept his eyes open, staring at the ceiling while his mind wandered through all sorts of chaotic thoughts. Suddenly, a hand reached over and pulled him tightly into an embrace.
Su Sheng’s body stiffened. He was about to scold the other when he realized that this person had already fallen asleep.
So he could only lie there with a rigid expression, not uttering a word, until he finally fell asleep in the early hours of the morning.
What Su Sheng didn’t know was that after he fell asleep, the body beside him gradually grew stiff, no longer resembling that of a living person.
At the same time, the Demon King quietly appeared before Su Sheng. After transferring a drop of blood to “Luo Ren,” he stared at Su Sheng’s face for a long while, his icy pupils flickering with a maddened glee:
“‘Kill sooner or later?’ I’ll wait for the day you faint in my bed, Norton.”
Then, the Demon King’s pale fingertip touched Su Sheng’s forehead, and a wisp of black mist flashed past.
“Then, let me collect a little interest first.”